Rocky Top 2013

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SESSION               DATES

Session 1             9/1 - 9/8/2013

Session 2             9/13 - 9/20/2013

Session 3             9/25 - 10/2/2013

Session 4             10/7 - 10/14/2013

Session 5             10/19 - 10/26/2013

Session Three!

Another great session and A LOT of work completed!  Thanks to the great volunteers who came out and made it happen! Check out some of the adventures this session....

Getting ready to pack-in to the work site

 

Stretching is important before a hard day of trail work!

 





Usable rocks for the project were hard to come by, so sometime they had to travel a little ways to the worksite.

Artie knows his way around rock work!  After rifting their step, they had to roll it down the trail a ways.



 

Bob got really really good at filling in his steps with crush and fill.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finished rock step  -- great work Amanda and Artie!

 

 



Enjoying a great evening the last night of the session...

Thanks to a great hardworking and fun crew of volunteers!!

Check out more photos from session three HERE.

Session Two

It was another great session on Rocky Top!

 

 

Since it was nasty and rainy the first day, they crew took a recreational day and visited the Park. They were led by Ranger Richard on a very informative hike and had an opportunity to see some really neat historical sites.

After that, they got down to work!  The session was spent putting in some log cribbing and steps, both of which required a lot of crush & fill.  Luckily, Judith, a volunteer who travelled all the way from Israel to work on the Appalachian Trail loved crushing rocks!

Evenings were cool and in the mid-40's, but the sunsets up in the mountains were truly amazing!

 Glenn, Rocky Top's camp coordinator, joined the crew for a day of work.  Thanks Glenn!

Check out more photos from this session HERE!

2012 Rocky Top Season is Underway!

Session one of the Rocky Top 2012 season just wrapped up!  The crew is continuing the reconstruction of the A.T. near Snake Den Ridge in the Smokies, building turnpike and putting in rock steps on heavily used, muddy sections of trail.  Crew leaders Josh and Kathryn are enjoying their time in the beautiful Smoky Mountains, and would love to have you sign up for a session! 

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Beautiful views in the Smoky Mountains!

Building turnpike

Having fun on trail crew!

New rock steps

Completed turnpike section

Check out more photos from this season so far! 

2010 Season in the Books! Great work Crew!

The 2010 season was one of the very best on record, thanks to everyone near and far who made it happen! Of special thanks are the crew leaders Andy, Jamie and Glenn who lead us into the great beyond! Of very special thanks are the many crew members who came from overseas to be a part of our family. Way to go the extra (thousand) miles! Of very very special thanks is everyone who picked up a pulaski this season. We were 100% full and you all did some increadible work, from the bottom of my heart, thank you so much. -Andrew

Welcome 2009

Hello Rocky Top! I just wanted send a Hello to all of you from Christine Hoyer, I just saw her building some trail out at Konnarock with the Nantahala Hiking Club on her day off from...building trail.

Speaking of Konnarock, we will be welcoming Dannon and Doug, current K-Rock leaders, to Rocky Top this year as they learn how to substitute their chushy forest service trucks for a purebread mule. Make sure to join me and Camp Coordinator Glenn in welcoming them warmly.

The Rocky Top sessions are filling up with at a predictable pace so get your applications in! We are headed to another exciting season and we hope you are a part of it!

Will Christine be in the Smokies... Yes, but not with the ATC

Guess what?! It is time for me to take on a new challenge... As of August 17th I will be the newest full-time employee of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park Trails Division. It is an opportunity of a lifetime and it still feels surreal that they picked me! My list of duties is long and overwhelming but essentially I will be responsible for one of the Trail Districts in the Park - everything from trail assessment to trail work, have a professional crew to supervise and work with.... I will also be working on a volunteer program since I think volunteers are really who make great things happen on the trails. So in just a few short weeks I will move myself from my home at Konnarock into the Park. I wish I could have been there to lead Rocky Top 2008.... I hope to make appearances up on the AT to visit and work with you guys... or at least drop by the cabin for dinner. I hope you all know that I love you dearly and you are what makes it so hard for me to leave... but I hope that our paths will cross again - you all will be hearing from me once I need some volunteers -- and of course I am going to become a member of the Smoky Mountains ATC Hiking Club and will return to Konnarock and Rocky Top as a volunteer as soon as I can!!!!! Please, please, please stay in touch and enjoy your time at the good ol' Top this fall.

~Christine
wishfulthnkr@hotmail.com